Apple Cranberry Pie

October 19th, 2009 § 2 comments

piefront

It was a banner weekend: dinner on the Upper West Side on Friday night, the farmers’ market in Grand Army Plaza on Saturday morning, shopping and macarons in SoHo in the afternoon, beer and tacos in Sunset Park at night, and finally on Sunday, manicures, pints of pumpkin ale, and lots of cooking in Park Slope. It felt the way a New York weekend should, with just the right balance of adventure and absurdity, and enough scenic views for a Woody Allen film. Much of it also revolved around food, so it was natural to wind down by baking a pie Sunday afternoon with my well-manicured hands.

I wanted to go recipe-free to make an apple cranberry pie, so I tried to remember as many techniques as I could from last year’s apple pie adventure and winged the rest. The pie was a success, but I forgot to add flour to the apple mixture which resulted in a little excess liquid. I’ve corrected it in the recipe after the jump. » Read the rest of this entry «

Food Rules

October 16th, 2009 § 3 comments

Michael Pollan has been collecting people’s personal eating rules for a new book and he posted some of his favorites on the New York Times website. It got me thinking about my food rules. They include:

  • Don’t eat anything that’s still alive (recently shucked oysters excluded).
  • Always use real butter and never use skim milk.
  • Order the half or small plate. Then, order dessert.
  • When at a fancy restaurant, kick off the night with the most absurd cocktail on the menu.
  • If a food has more than four legs and you’re not lost in the woods, proceed with caution.
  • Try a bite of every new food that you’re offered.
  • Baked goods taste better when they’re shared.

What are your food rules?

Sweet Potato Wedges with Tarragon Mayo

October 14th, 2009 § 1 comment

spwedges

Things have yet to die down completely around here, so I’m keeping tonight’s post short and straight to the point: Sweet potatoes! Cut, season, roast, serve with fattening (and delicious) dipping sauce.

During the Sunday of Sandwiches, Angela showed me a menu from her recent trip to the UK and one of the side dishes was sweet potato wedges with tarragon mayo. It sounded fantastic, so I picked up some sweet potatoes at the farmers’ market and improvised a recipe this evening. » Read the rest of this entry «

Grandma’s Recipe Book: Honey Whole Wheat Bread

October 12th, 2009 § 3 comments

honeywwbread

There are a number of recipes written on random stationary in my grandmother’s collection. This is on hotel stationary, while others come from factories, a research facility of some sort, and (what I believe to be) my aunt’s algebra homework.

According to my mother, this recipe for honey whole wheat bread was one of her favorites. After making it today, I can see why. The crust is crunchy, the interior is soft, and there is the tiniest hint of honey. My baking process wasn’t error free, however.

More photos and the full recipe after the jump. » Read the rest of this entry «

On the Move

October 9th, 2009 § 3 comments

This week has been hectic between work, freelancing, and preparing for a weekend trip, so I’ve taken a brief cooking break. I’m heading down to DC Friday evening to live blog, tweet, and lend a helping hand at the First National Tween Girl Summit all day Saturday. I will try not to reflect on my bookish, nerdy tween days, during which I was nicknamed both Wednesday and Daria by girls dressed like Alicia Silverstone in Clueless, but it will be hard to resist.

Are you cooking something fabulous this weekend? Let me know in the comments.

Zucchini Bread

October 8th, 2009 § 2 comments

zucbread

The kitchen table in my apartment offers a rotating assortment of baked goods in tupperware containers and ziploc bags. Last week, Erin made pumpkin cookies and banana nut muffins. Then, Clare made pumpkin bread and muffins, followed a few days later by Magnolia cupcakes (mini and full size). Erin made corn muffins yesterday, then I made zucchini bread. Erin made zucchini cookies, a batch of brownies, and more muffins this afternoon, and finally, while not baking-related, Jess made a whole bunch of edamame tonight. There’s nothing better than getting home from work to a fresh plate of cookies, or waking up in the morning to a plate of muffins waiting for breakfast.

My zucchini bread recipe came from Simply Recipes, my new trusted source for baked goods. They’re behind the brownies and banana bread that I have shared with many friends and they’re always a hit.

Sunday Sandwiches

October 5th, 2009 § 1 comment

sandwichesinpan

My friends Angela and Sean hosted a small gathering Sunday afternoon to celebrate an a match made in culinary heaven: grilled sandwiches and beer. They gathered an impressive array of meats, cheeses, mustards, and more, and were ready with some fantastic combinations. More photos and combos after the jump » Read the rest of this entry «

Apartment Dining PSA

October 2nd, 2009 § 0 comments

For my last cop out entry of the week, I need to inform you, dear reader, of this. You’ll know it’s October 26th by the scent of pork wafting from my kitchen

Braised Chicken with Apples and Sage

September 30th, 2009 § 0 comments

This was a week about planning ahead. I knew I would be strapped for time because of starting my new job, so I made a large batch of braised chicken with apples and sage based on a recipe from Epicurious (I should have also written a few blog entries in advance, but here we are). The smell of sauteéd shallots and apples filled the kitchen and the flavors were great, even though I didn’t brown my chicken enough. I had another piece of chicken for dinner a second night, and then cut it up a remaining piece and used it in a salad with dried cranberries, pecans, and a balsamic vinaigrette.

I promise to get back to creating recipes and taking photos next week once I’ve readjusted to full time employment. It’s strange to return to a regular 8-hour workday after ten months of pyjamas and working from home.

AD Challenge: Tacos

September 28th, 2009 § 0 comments

tomatillo2

The time has come for the first Apartment Dining Challenge. This month’s challenge comes from Jon and Kellie. Jon writes:

Kellie and I enjoy making tacos in our apartment. We both like to eat them in different ways. Kellie likes to break up the hard shells and make a taco salad; I like hard or soft shell tacos the traditional way. We usually make them together – one person cooks the meat and shells while the other cuts veggies – so it’s a fun team effort. We also make them to get rid of leftover steak or chicken. What are your thoughts on tacos?

I have always been a fan of tacos, particularly chicken or those with more uncommon ingredients, such as chorizo or roasted vegetables. I think the key to making tacos at home on a regular basis is mixing it up with new ingredients or meat cooking methods. Keeping cooking time in mind (Jon and Kellie are two very busy folks), I wanted to put together a simple recipe that added some interesting ingredients and could also lend itself to a taco salad.

Enter the tomatillo. » Read the rest of this entry «

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